NCJ Number
69362
Journal
Canadian Criminology Forum Volume: 2 Issue: 2 Dated: (SPRING 1980) Pages: 35-46
Date Published
1980
Length
12 pages
Annotation
THIS PAPER CONSIDERS CONFLICT AND CRIMINALIZATION ISSUES WITHIN A DEVELOPING COUNTRY, FOCUSING ON A MODEL PATTERNED AFTER THE MALAYSIAN POLITICAL SITUATION, WITHOUT ATTEMPTING VALUE JUDGMENTS OF LEGITIMACY.
Abstract
THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS STUDY IS TO DEVELOP A WEBERIAN CONFLICT MODEL TO STUDY CONTRIBUTING FACTORS OF CONFLICT AND LEGAL SANCTIONS IN MALAYSIA. THIS APPROACH REJECTS BOTH CONSENSUS AND MARXIST CRIMINOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES BECAUSE THEY ARE PARTISAN AND TOO RESTRICTIVE IN SCOPE. THREE MAJOR AREAS OF CONFLICT ARE ISOLATED AMONG STRATEGIC GROUPS (I.E., THE ETHNICALLY HETEROGENEOUS COMPONENTS OF MALAYSIA'S POPULATION) AND INDIVIDUALS: CULTURAL DISTANCE, LEGAL SYSTEMS, AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. THESE KEY AREAS HAVE CAUSAL IMPORTANCE IN THE ANALYSIS OF LAW AND ORDER, AND ARE EXPLORED FOR THEIR RELEVANCE TO MALAYSIA. THE INFORMATION THUS OBTAINED IS THEN APPLIED TO A CONFLICT MODEL THAT SUMMARIZES THE VARIABLES INHERENT TO PRODUCTION AND DEVIANCE. THIS MODEL IS BASED ON KNOWLEDGE PRESENTLY AVAILABLE IN MALAYSIA AND SHOULD BE REVISED IN VIEW OF NEW INFORMATION OR CHANGES IN MALAYSIA, ALTHOUGH REVISIONS FOR USE IN OTHER DEVELOPING COUNTRIES ARE SIMILARLY APPROPRIATE. THIS MODEL DOES NOT REVEAL EMPIRICAL FINDINGS OF CRIME RATES, BUT IS BEST REGARDED AS A SENSITIZING CONSTRUCT THAT CAN GUIDE FUTURE RESEARCH. THE PAPER ALSO REVIEWS AVAILABLE LITERATURE ON CRIMINOLOGICAL RESEARCH IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES, DESPITE ITS QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE INADEQUACIES. FOOTNOTES AND GRAPHIC REPRESENTATIONS OF CONSENSUS, MARXIST, AND WEBERIAN THEORIES ARE PROVIDED, AND 47 REFERENCES ARE APPENDED.